Wave motor device



July 31, 1934.

c. A WEBBER 1,968,235

WAVE MOTOR DEVICE Filed Oct. 8, 1932 ATTORNEYS atented July 31, 1934 mm1m PAT m;crim

"Q'CIaimS. (Cl. 253-11) This invention relates to wave motor devices and has for its object the provision of a wave inotordevice which is-adapted to be' 'operated.

" 'w'ith aminimum'degreeof wave motion.

"' 5 Another object of the present inventionisto provide a wave motor deviceadapted to produce a continuous flow oipower' without the necessity 1 of providing" means t o-store the wave. motor energy.

' -iO "Another'object of the present invention is to provide a simple, "eifi'cient and inexpensive wave motor device;

Otherobjeots'and advantages will become apparent'as the invention is more fully disclosed.

/ -In"accordanceWiththe objects of the present invention, I have devised an assembly of-elements comprising the wave motor device in which a" fulcrumed arm'is supported upon a: suitable pier 'or wharf extending out over-'rthe water fromvthe 5;} shoreline a suitable 'distancejithe 'shortend of the arm extending out over the water. and the longer end thereof 'extending'shoreward.

" A float'element is attached to the 'shorterlever arm and the other end'of the'lever is adapted to operate suitable air or water pumping or electric generating mechanism'with a' vertical rise and fall of the lever, the efiiuent of said pump I mechanism being conveyed away; to operate power generatingapparatus; or said lever and gofloat directly operating.saidhgenerating appa-:-: ratus; all as will be more fully hereinafter'disclosed.

7 The invention is illust'rated in :theaccompany ing drawing wherein an apparatuslforgenerating- 3'5"electricity directly bythe'wave motor-device of. the present invention is'shown diagranunatically.

In my present invention," a wave motor :sim-

ilar to that of my pending application 'Ser. No.; 574,293 filed November 11,:1931; is usedg but-5 swingsto'ptheleft to carryaportion ;0fthe cablg 5 4 instead of operating. a pump. as in -said applica tion', the power from the .motor is "applied: directly to an electric generator.

Referring to the drawinggcthe lever l is lful crumed at 2 on a pier or wharf -3 and carries 5- upon its shorter arm 4 afloat 5 so: positioned as to rest on the surface of a body ofiwater from #19 which the wave impulses are received. The other ment ofithe' arm 14 is outwardly to release the "arm '6 of the lever extend's'shoreward a length "greater' than that of 5'0tively'small 'vertical movement ofathe arm 4 resolves itself into a relatively" large vertical movement at-the' -en'cl of the longer arm; 6." The K 1 po p giherated this movement is "utili'zedin "the present l invention directly; foriithegenera- 5*5 tiohof' 'electri'c powen- I i vertical movement.

pulley 18 and thence" downwardly.

the "arm 4 so that a-rela-- To: operate a generator of-.'e1ectricity, ai-high speed is. usually required. Forthisalpurpose,

therefore; :the'power atv-the end of the @lever arm 6' is transmitted through a=-speedmultiplying means to the electricgenerator; :The speed muletiplying means comprises aitrain of gears or a belt train and a means for changing the reciprocating movement of the end of the lever'arm into. a unidirectional rotation Ofzthe wheeler belt train I @3765 For this purpose the end of the lever ;6 is slotted at '7 and is provided with a;pin 8'slidable. this slot. The end ofthe lever arm 6 is guided: between suitable guides 9. The cable 10'is trained overa pulley 11 mountedat theupper endof the;

guides 9 and at one side of saidwpulley depends pastand is secured.- to the pin 8 sonthat asthe lever 1 rocks" about thefulcrum'2 the pin 8,-and with it the cable, 10, is given a reciprocating That part 12 of the cable 10 that-hangssfroni theyoppositeside of the pulley l1 is-given an fequaI' and opposite reciprocating movement. {The I cablelength 10 passes downwardly about-a5 guide "i pulley l3 and ne211 r-its lowerv end is-secured to a rock' ar'm 14.

'- A weight 15 is secured tothe lower end of the ':c'ab1e 10. belowthe rock arm 14. Theca-ble length 12 passes about apulley 16 andthence upwardly.

In its upward passage it is'connected to-a:r.oclg; arm 17 and extends past this rock 'arm over a Azweight 19' is attached .to the; downwardly hangingie'nd of-theca'ble:length*12.:' Thea-rock arms 14 and 17-:218 secured by'a link 20 so that;

they i-rock uniformly in ithe same-direction. The

connection between the cable length 1.0 and the rock-arm 14issuch that at the first'portion of the upward-movement ofthelever'armfi-ythe arm 14 into engagement with the teeth of a sprocket lwheel -21-;:'the cablecbeing provided at this part of its length with sprocket-engaging loopszor wi'se rotation of the sprocket wheel 21'. As-,-the lever-arm 6rrocks: downwardly; the first; move- 'of-the cable length 12, passingupwardly between the pulleys 16 and 18; intof contact with thenoptransmitted with of the cable length 12 is moving downwardly at this time, it also serves to rotate the sprocket wheel 21 counter-clockwise.

Similarly the initial movement of the rock arm 17 serves to release the cable length 12 from the sprocket wheel.

The arrangement is such that one cable length just clears the teeth of the sprocket wheel as the other moves into engagement therewith.

As a result of, this mechanism, the sprocket wheel 21 is given a counter-clockwise movement with each up-swing and down-swing of the lever arm 6, and the movement of the wheel is not only unidirectional, but substantially continuous, provided the lever arm 6 is always in movement.

The sprocket wheel 21 is connected to a larger pulley or sprocket 22, either by a ratchet connec'- tion or, if desired, a suitable ratchet and pawl device 23.

The power of the rotating sprocket wheel 22 is increased speed through a sprocket chain 24, sprocket wheels 25 and 26,

7 chain 27 and sprocket wheel 28 to a generator 29.

It will beunderstood that additional or lesser numbers of sprocket wheels and chains may be employed, and that other equivalent trains may be used if desired.

It will also be understood that two or more sets of levers'fi may be employed, andthat to secure continuity of motion, several wave motors may be connected through suitable ratchet and pawl means to a single gear train, thus giving a more constant and continuous power and speed to the generating mechanism.

From the above description and drawing it is believed clear that the wave motor device of the present invention is adapted to be operated under conditions where there is a minimum wave height andthereiore singularly free from periods of inactivity due to periods of calm or wave inactivity. Heretofore in the art wave motor devices have been dependent upon a relatively large rise and fall of the waves at the point of installation. In periods of calm the efiiciencies of these prior art wave motor devices have fallen. In the present invention periods of calm will have relatively little efiect upon the efficiency of the wave motor device and the device may be installed in places where the average rise and fall of the wave is relatively low and where the same may be protected from the unusual conditions incident to storms, floods and the like. Moreover, it is believedclear from the above description and drawing that the wave motor device of the. present invention is operative irrespective of variations in the tide levelof the body of water and also operative with substantial equal eihciency at any given wave height and througha relatively wide range of varying wave heights. The general adaptability and utility of the present invention thereby is greatly enlarged.

.Having described the invention, what I claim isz 1. A wave motor device comprising a fulcrumed lever having a short arm and a long arm, means to support said lever with the short arm extending out over water, a float element rigidly attached to the end of said short lever arm and means to directly translate the vertical rise and fall of said long lever arm incident to wave mo tion acting upon said float to the generation of power irrespective of variations in the tide level of said water and with substantial equal efficiency at any given wave height.

. 2. Ina wave motor device of the type described and claimed in claim 1, motion translating means comprising means for changing the reciprocating movement of the end of the lever arm into a unidirectional rotation of a wheel and speed multiplying means operatively connected between said wheel and power generating apparatus.

3. In a wave motor device of the type described and claimed in claim 1, a cable, means for giving said cable a reciprocating motion from said long lever arm, a sprocket Wheel and means for bringing alternate lengths of said cable into engagement with a sprocket wheel with alternating movements of said long lever arm thereby to impart a unidirectional movement to said sprocket wheel.

4. In a wave motor device of the type described and claimed in claim 1, a cable, means for giving said cable a reciprocating motion from said long lever arm, a sprocket wheel, means for bringing alternate lengths of said cable into engagement with a sprocket wheel with alternating movements of said lever arm thereby to impart a unidirectional movement to said sprocket wheel and an electric generator and speed multiplying means between said sprocket wheel and said electric generator.

5. In a wave motor device of the type described and claimed in claim 1, a cable secured to the long arm of said lever, a sprocket wheel, pulleys on which said cable is trained so as to cause a length of said chain to move upwardly during the up-stroke of said lever arm and another part of said cable to move downwardly during the down-stroke of said lever arm and means to bring the lengths in contact with the sides of said sprocket wheel.

6. In a wave motor device of the type described and claimed in claim 1, a cable secured to. the long arm of said lever, a sprocket wheel, pulleys on which said cable is trained so as to cause a length of said chain to move upwardly during the up-stroke of said lever arm and another part of said cable to move downwardly during the down-stroke of said lever arm, means to bring the lengths in contact with the sides of said sprocket wheel and a belt train driven from said sprocket.

7. In a Wave motor device of the type described and claimed in claim 1, a cable secured to the long arm of said lever, a sprocket wheel, pulleys on which said cable is trained so as to cause a length of said chain to move upwardly during the up-stroke of said lever arm and another part of said cable to move downwardly during the down-stroke of said lever arm, means to bring the lengths in contact with the sides of said sprocket wheel and speed multiplying devices driven from said sprocket.

8. In a wave motor device of the type described and claimed'in claim 1, a cable securedto the long arm of said lever, a sprocket wheel, pulleys on which said cable is trained so as to cause a length of said chain to move upwardly during the up-stroke of said lever arm and another part of said cable to move downwardly during the down-stroke of said lever arm, meansto bring the lengths in contact with the sides of said sprocket wheel, speed multiplying devices driven from said sprocket and a pawl and ratchet between said sprocket wheel and said speed multiplying devices. I

9. In a wave motor device of the type described and claimed in claim 1, motion translating means comprising vertical guide members positioned adjacent the end of the long lever arm and on with the said cable ends positioned on opposite sides thereof and in a position to impart to said sprocket wheel a unidirectional movement by reason of the engagement of said cable ends therewith and speed multiplying means connected with the said sprocket wheel to transmit the rotating motion of said sprocket wheel to a power generating device.

CHARLES A. WEBBER. 

